Application of titanium carbide/porous carbon composite in electrochemical treatment of uranium-containing wastewater

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an application of a titanium carbide/porous carbon composite in electrochemical treatment of uranium-containing wastewater, and belongs to the technical field of wastewater treatment. The present disclosure provides the application of the titanium carbide/porous carbon composite in electrochemical treatment of uranium-containing wastewater. Titanium carbide (TiC) is a typical transition metal carbide and has good conductivity and excellent chemical stability; compared with a titanium dioxide/carbon nanomaterial, the titanium carbide/porous carbon composite has a rich pore structure that provides a large number of activated adsorption sites for adsorption of metal ions during electro-adsorption, so that the electro-adsorption efficiency can be substantially improved, and a better electro-adsorption effect is obtained.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A process for using a titanium carbide/porous carbon composite in electrochemical treatment of uranium-containing wastewater, comprising the following steps:
 applying the titanium carbide/porous carbon composite in the form of a titanium carbide/porous carbon composite electrode, 
 wherein the titanium carbide/porous carbon composite electrode is fabricated by drop casting of the titanium carbide/porous carbon composite on carbon paper, and 
 the titanium carbide/porous carbon composite is fabricated by a method comprising the following steps: 
 mixing polystyrene microspheres, isopropanol, a titanium source and terephthalic acid to obtain a gel; 
 conducting a first calcination on the gel under argon atmosphere to obtain a precursor material; and 
 mixing the precursor material with a carbon source, and conducting a second calcination under argon atmosphere to obtain the titanium carbide/porous carbon composite. 
 
     
     
       2. The process according to  claim 1 , wherein uranium in the uranium-containing wastewater exists in the form of uranium(VI). 
     
     
       3. The process according to  claim 1 , wherein a concentration of uranium in the uranium-containing wastewater is 20-50 mg/L. 
     
     
       4. The process according to  claim 2 , wherein a concentration of the uranium(VI) in the uranium-containing wastewater is 20-50 mg/L. 
     
     
       5. The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical treatment is conducted at a working voltage of 0-1.4 V, the working voltage is not 0, and an inlet flow rate is 15-35 mL/min. 
     
     
       6. The process according to  claim 2 , wherein the electrochemical treatment is conducted at a working voltage of 0-1.4 V, the working voltage is not 0, and an inlet flow rate is 15-35 mL/min. 
     
     
       7. The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the first calcination is conducted at a temperature of 600-800° C. for 2-4 h. 
     
     
       8. The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the second calcination is conducted by calcining at 600-800° C. for 2 h, then heating to 1,250-1,300° C., and holding for 2 h. 
     
     
       9. The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the polystyrene microspheres, the titanium source and the terephthalic acid have a weight ratio of 10:(4-7):1. 
     
     
       10. The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the polystyrene microspheres are 450 nm±16 nm in particle size.